Derek Sivers shares a story and some advice about panic:

I knocked on the teacher’s tank, pointed up, and went to the surface. Once above water, I ripped off my mask.

The teacher came up and said, “What’s wrong?”

I frantically said, “I don’t like this. I don’t want to do this. I don’t like it. I’m going home. I’ll see you later.”

The teacher, Tobi, was so calm and peaceful. I’ll never forget this moment. He looked at me carefully for a few seconds then slowly said, “Look around. It’s a nice day. See those mountains over there? It’s beautiful here. Let’s just relax for a few minutes.”

Read the whole story, a short quote doesn’t do it justice.